Comparison

Apache Druid vs DuckDB

On the evidence we track, DuckDB leads this comparison with a composite score of 62/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Apache Druid48
DuckDB62
Score
Vioscale score
Apache Druid48 / 100medium · 54%
DuckDB62 / 100medium · 56%
Pricing
Free tier
Apache Druid
DuckDB
Model
Apache Druidopen_source
Price level
Apache Druidfree
DuckDBfree
Transparent
Apache Druid
DuckDB
Integrations
Count
Apache Druid2
DuckDB27
Reliability
Status page
Apache Druid
DuckDB
Adoption
Dependent repos
Apache Druid264
DuckDB1
Github stars
Apache Druid14,045
DuckDB40,661
Package downloads weekly
Apache Druid
Activity
Commits last 30d
Apache Druid100
DuckDB100
Release
Cadence days
Apache Druid61
DuckDB28
History
Apache Druid20 items
DuckDB20 items
License
Spdx
Apache DruidApache-2.0
DuckDBMIT
Language
Primary
Apache DruidJava
DuckDBC++
Market

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for data warehouse software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Deployment
Deployment
Apache DruidSelf-hosted
DuckDBEmbedded
Architecture
Architecture
Apache Druid-
DuckDB-
Compute model
Apache DruidClusters
DuckDB-
Query
SQL dialect
Apache DruidVendor-specific
DuckDBVendor-specific
Federation / lakehouse query-in-place
Apache Druid-
DuckDB
Interoperability
Table-format support
Apache Druid-
DuckDBParquet, CSV, JSON, Iceberg, Delta Lake, Vortex, DuckLake, Lance, Arrow, Avro, E
Scale
Concurrency scaling
Apache Druid-
DuckDB-
Ingestion
Streaming ingest
Apache Druid
DuckDB-
Data model
Semi-structured (JSON/VARIANT)
Apache Druid-
DuckDBFunctional
Analytics
ML / in-DB functions
Apache Druid-
DuckDB
Sharing
Data sharing / marketplace
Apache Druid-
DuckDB-
Licensing
Licence class
Apache DruidPermissive OSS
DuckDBPermissive OSS

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Apache Druid

Apache Druid is an open source analytics database designed for fast queries and real-time data ingestion. It excels at powering UIs, running operational queries, and handling high concurrency.

Independently observed

DuckDB

Leader

An in-process SQL analytical database that runs natively in applications across operating systems and environments. Supports querying files and cloud data directly with a SQL dialect and includes vector search capabilities.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Apache Druid

Open sourceFree tier

Open source, free to use and deploy

as of verify ↗

DuckDB

Leader
Open sourceFree tier

Free, open source under MIT license

as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Apache Druid
DuckDB
macOS
Apache Druid
DuckDB
Windows
Apache Druid
DuckDB
Linux
Apache Druid
DuckDB
CLI
Apache Druid
DuckDB
Deployment
Self-hosted
Apache Druid
DuckDB
On-premise
Apache Druid
DuckDB

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Apache Druid

2 total
  • Apache Kafka
  • Amazon Kinesis
Independently observed

DuckDB

Leader
27 total
  • Postgres
  • AWS
  • S3
  • Azure
  • Google Cloud
  • Hugging Face
  • SQLite
  • MySQL
  • Iceberg
  • Delta Lake
  • Parquet
  • JSON
  • Arrow
  • Avro
  • Pandas
  • dplyr
  • Jupyter
  • Marimo
  • Claude
  • Cloudflare
  • ODBC
  • HTTP
  • Excel
  • Vortex
  • +3 more
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.